


Anima

by First_Peach



Series: Second Chances [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, No Kaguya, No Zetsu, Orochimaru (Naruto)-centric, Rebirth, Soul Bond, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:21:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29681799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/First_Peach/pseuds/First_Peach
Summary: A sequel toArcanum. The story continues from chapter 79.This story can be read separately but would make more sense after reading the first part.Orochimaru & Sakura end up at a different time, but will they find each other again? A lot of healing, growth, and closure is to be expected in this story. You have been warned ^^
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Orochimaru, Haruno Sakura/Orochimaru
Series: Second Chances [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181123
Comments: 122
Kudos: 214





	1. Saku Haruno

**Author's Note:**

> This is chapter 79 of Arcanum, where the new story of Anima begins.

“You’ve been gooooood to me, Sssakura. Or should I say, Ssssaku? Yessss, you’ve been better than I’ve been to myssself. For that I thank youuuu, my eternal blossom,” he murmured into the woman’s ear. 

There was a hunger in the way he kissed her. Sakura stood in place stunned. Despite the tingling and warmth that spread in her body, there were questions in her mind.

“Orochi? Is… that you? How?” she gasped feeling another wet kiss on her neck.

“Mhmm. All thanksssss to you. When you sssssummoned me I knew where to find you then.”

“Ahh..” she sighed, dropping her head back. It was virtually impossible to resist his touch, not like she wanted to in the first place.

“You were running blind, my dearrrr. Following your feeeeeet to try and outrun your fate. But noooow I am here and you don’t have to ruuuunnn anymore,” he whispered, making her mind go drunk with tempting lust.

“Orochimaru… I still don’t understand how?”

“Hmmm, one moment I wassss standing. You were there. Yourrrr dead body. The next two worldsssss collided. My past, futurrrre and present. And _they_ could never tear usssss apart again,” Orochimaru pulled back briefly to gaze deep into her eyes. His strong hands held her close.

Golden eyes showed raw emotion Sakura has never seen before. She was stunned in silent admiration. That is how she noticed a glimpse of what she could only call as sadness and hurt.

“Orochimaru?”

His grip tightened.

“We can live for a thoussssand years, Saku… But if I hurt you, I am sorrrrry,” she felt odd for a second and then heard a distinctive sound of a blade being sheath behind her. Yet she couldn’t turn her head away from his eyes.

Strong instinct urged her to pull away. Sakura had to use her chakra enhanced strength to do so… but her chakra was dormant. Untouchable. Fear of helplessness washed over her in a blink of an eye.

“What… what did you do?” her shaking voice was only but a whisper. It felt like the man’s shadow was now taller than her own soul.

“Chakra suppressssssing seal,” he answered with calm. Sakura almost cursed aloud. Naruto was a seal genius and now she was helpless because of it.

“Orochi…”

“I am ssssorry Saku. I love your preccccious heart, so I do hope you will eventually forgive me. I jusssst want more time with youuuu alone,” he leaned close to capture her lips.

At that moment she felt a long blade, no, a sword, pierce her from her back straight through her chest. From the taste of blood in the sannins mouth, she gathered that the sword didn’t stop there and went to his own chest as well.

They were now connected in a bloody union. 

They were dying.

...

...

...

━━━━━━━━━━

It was surreal. Kakashi never expected to see Rin like this again… The words she spoke were like a dream. Her plea for forgiveness…

“Stop… RIN! Just stop! It was my fault!” he finally snapped. The girl looked at him with a saddened expression and shook her head.

“No Kakashi. You did everything right. You saved the village. And I chose to put this burden on you. It was selfish of me, but it had to be done. We are shinobi and we are meant to kill.”

“Rin… Just say you forgive me,” he almost begged.

“No! You say you forgive _me_! Only then can you forgive yourself.”

“...”

“Say it!”

“I…”

“Say it!”

“Rin… I forgive you…” sharp breath escaped his covered lips and his heart fluttered. He meant it. Surprisingly, she was right. The heaviness that clouded his existence diminished. He took another breath.

“Kakashi…” she wanted to say something more, but suddenly her head snapped to the side and her face scrunched.

“What is it?” instinctively on alert, Kakashi expanded his senses to check for any potential danger. They were still alone on the cliff.

“My… master, the one that summoned me… I cannot feel her chakra control anymore...”

“Saku?” Kakashi also looked in the same direction. Maybe something happened? Maybe the war had finally started? But there would be more commotion…

“Let’s go!” he quickly said to Rin and both of them took off to find his former student.

It wasn’t hard. The woman’s scent was still fresh lingering in the air. It led them back into the headquarters. As they neared Saku’s room, Kakashi noticed something else mixed in the air. The distinctive smell of blood.

He leaped faster over the stairs and halls until he reached a door. The smell of blood intensified. Urgently the man opened it and froze right there in the doorway.

His chakra instinctively flared a help signal and ANBU appeared not a second later. Then there was a rush of footsteps. Kage came into view, yet Kakashi didn’t see their faces. The only thing in front of his eyes was a slumped couple in a pool of blood and a brilliant sword glimmering in the light as it peaked from Orochimaru’s back.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade was feeling on edge. The way Orochimaru left her… it was odd. The bad feeling only intensified when suddenly she felt a commotion and a trickling flair of chakras announcing that there was an incident.

Quickly she walked to where all shinobi were gathering. When her eyes noticed the floor she was on, the steps hurried.

“Fuck…” she cursed pushing past Kakashi to go inside the room. Then she froze very much like the copy nin behind her.

“Saku…” the woman whispered before she leaped closer. Her hands glowed green as she crouched in the pool of blood. Her fingers were shaking. There was too much blood.

She was too late.

The sword had gone straight through Saku’s heart. And Orochimaru’s heart. Their bodies were already getting cold.

Tsunade felt the heaviness of her age on her shoulders. Tears streamed down her cheeks. This… it was her fault… Giving Saku the mission… Calling for Orochimaru… Allowing him to leave…

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in a shaky voice. There was a dead silence around her. Nobody dared to speak.

━━━━━━━━━━

“YOSH! We did it!” Naruto gave a brilliant smile to Killer B as they broke through the barrier. With the sage chakra running through his veins, the boy sensed all his friends and comrades gathered in the village not too far away.

They were all there. Granny. Kakashi. Hinata… and… he scrunched his forehead focusing on one particular chakra signature.

“It cannot be…” the boy whispered. But it was true as day. Saku’s chakra was there too! A hope dwindled in his heart. His dear teammate was back…

Until… One minute, the chakra was there, the next it went still as if frozen… And then slowly, like trickling rain, the chakra signature vanished.

Without saying a word, Naruto ran at the speed of light.

**Kid…**

“SHUT UP, KURAMA! NOT NOW!” 

**Kid… you’re too late…**

Naruto for once in his life could not believe it. It was a lie. A trick. Saku could not be… gone.

━━━━━━━━━━

“How did this happen?” Gaara asked when kage gathered in an urgent meeting.

“Orochimaru used a seal to suppress Saku’s chakra,” Shizune said, while Tsunade drank straight from the bottle. The woman looked disheveled.

“Good riddance, both of them,” Tsuchikage muttered but was not unheard. Honey-colored eyes snapped at him with unadulterated rage.

“DON’T YOU DARE! WE ARE ABLE TO FIGHT AGAINST TOBI ONLY BECAUSE OF THE WORK _SHE_ DID!” Hokage yelled and smashed the bottle from frustration.

It was a solemn morning. Most did not grieve, like Konoha nin. They still had doubts about Saku. About Orochimaru. Their death meant only two enemies less.

But not for Konoha.

Shikamaru found out about it from Kakashi. He couldn’t believe it until he saw Saku’s body in the morgue. That was the moment he broke down on his knees. Kakashi stood by his side. 

Young Nara cried over the loss just like the first time she left him. Again, he was helpless to do anything about it. The world shattered around him into a million pieces.

“It will get better,” Kakashi said, planting a heavy hand on his shoulder. He was right. Life would go on with another name on the memorial stone.

Naruto was standing beside Saku, eyes red from tears that just kept coming. Today he lost not only one, but both of his teammates. His family. He was again alone in this world. And no one to blame for it.

━━━━━━━━━━

...

...

...

Sakura felt her spirit go up into the inbetween. It was crying for leaving the world she just started to call home. She saw rings of smoke around her. There were distant voices of those who stood looking.

She drifted away into the darkness allowing herself to fall. A ghostly hand grabbed her hand. She looked up to see Orochimaru’s face through the haze.

It felt like nothing in this universe happens just once. Here she is again dying. Infinity was going in both directions around her. There was only him now. And there was no unique event, no singular moment.

Sakura gave in to the force that was carrying her over the abyss. Maybe death will finally take her, but it was wishful thinking. Orochimaru’s grasp was ironclad. He was taking her away for another journey. Another chance…

 _Saku Haruno_ she thought to herself. _I don't even know who Saku Haruno is anymore. I'm a different person now. A person who uses curse words and kills people and sees things that aren't there. A very bad, very damaged person…_

Her life and existence changed. She was no longer the same Sakura. Nor was she Saku anymore. There was a hesitant realization blooming in her mind. Hope as she embraced the next change that was bound to happen. 

_Sometimes change can be good… You can find a new family. New connections. You might get lucky for once in your miserable life._

━━━━━━━━━━


	2. Spur of the Moment

They were spinning together until the concept of their bodies melted together into the void. They were surrounded by shimmering souls. Whispers were calling for them to stray from the path. Orochimaru kept his focus on the single purple line.

This was his connection to the time he aimed for. The only thing that mattered was this line and Saku’s hand in his grasp. He could not let her go. Not yet. Yet the pull was strong to separate the two.

 _I will not give her up!_ the man demanded into the darkness. 

Soon they could be together again. 

Soon.

It might take years or a single moment, but they would be together again. Orochimaru felt his vision come back into focus. The world was getting clearer. As much as it could considering the grey blurred lines.

He was so close.

The end of the line was here.

He reached in with the same instinct as before. He wanted to connect with his mortal body. The force dragged propelled Orochimaru forward. At the very last second, he felt his grasp empty.

 _NOOOOO_ he yelled in anger and despair. Saku was no longer there. He could not stop himself now. His soul had already locked onto the target. Another blink and the world snapped.

━━━━━━━━━━

Orochimaru blinked furiously. The nausea was not that bad this time. His body was jumping from branch to branch on autopilot.

 _How… nostalgic…_ he considered looking around. 

In front of him, the snake noted the backs of Konoha shinobi. His… students?

“Waiiit…” he whispered as his memory raced to supply with the right memory. As his eyes got wider with realization, Orochimaru acted caught up in the spur of the moment.

The moment he made hand signs to shunshin in front, a paper bomb was activated by the shinobi that were leading away. Orochimaru was just in time to shield one of them. 

He grasped tightly the boy as flames licked at his back. The blast force propelled them back. A bang made their ears ring, but… but he saved him.

The biggest regret in Orochimaru’s past lives was this exact moment. When he let Nawaki Senju die.

“Se-sensei?” he heard the boy rasp from under him.

“Reclesssss…” the snake hissed while the world dimmed around him. Such an annoying feeling it was. Even the burns didn't sting as bad as the notion, that he let himself get caught up in the blast.

“SENSEI!” that was the last thing Orochimaru heard before he lost consciousness.

━━━━━━━━━━

Tsunade hadn’t rushed this fast home since... Well, ever. An hour ago she got the message that her brother's team was ambushed. Killing two and one severely injured.

“WHERE IS HE????” she roared as she landed in the lobby of Konoha Hospital.

“Lady Tsunade!” a young nurse tried to stop her. No one could stop a sannin on a mission. Tsunade went straight to the operating rooms. Before she even reached the door, her eyes caught on a lone figure standing there by the entrance.

“Nawaki?” her voice trembled. She rushed to him and hugged the boy for dear life. “You’re… you’re okay?” the woman was now sobbing as she checked the boy from head to toe. There was barely a scratch on him.

“Tsuna… I’m fine… please… stop it,” he whines pushing her away lightly.

“But! They said..! What happened, Nawaki?”

“There was a trap. Orochimaru-sensei… he protected me..” the boy was looking down at the ground. He didn’t have to continue that thought.

Tsunade quickly sealed her emotions and went inside the operating room. It reeked of burned flesh and blood.

“What’s his status?” the slug princess demanded approaching the table.

“Lady Tsunade! Orochimaru-sama was badly burned. To the bone. We managed to stabilize his vitals, but… the damage… It is proving too difficult to mend the flesh,” one of the medics reported.

Tsunade’s hands were already glowing green over her teammate. It was bad. Very bad. But he was alive and that was all she could ask for right now.

The woman went to work. She poured every bit of chakra available to regenerate the muscle. It was not an easy task to do. She basically had to create skin tissue from scratch. It would be impossible for any regular medic.

It’s good that she wasn’t just any regular medic. She was Tsunade Senju. The slug Sannin. And she was determined to save him any means necessary.

━━━━━━━━━━

“How’s that possible?”

“Don’t ask me, perv.”

There were hushed voices all around him. Orochimaru felt his eyelids heavy. He also felt numb and tired, like he never felt before. 

“I mean, that’s just weird… even for him…”

“No shit, Jiraiya! How the hell should I know, how he managed to burn his back, and yet not a single strand of hair was singed?”

“What’ssss that about my hairrrr?” Orochimaru rasped catching the end of the pairs bickering.

“Orochimaru!” both voices yelped and he felt a foreign chakra flood his body. Such an annoying intrusion.

The snake forced himself to open his eyes. The light blinded him for a second until familiar faces came to view. Tsunade and Jiraiya were standing beside his bed.

“Sooo?” he demanded not amused about his question being ignored.

“Your hair is fine, Orochi,” Jiraiya gave a light punch to his shoulder.

“Ahhh, good,” he rasped shifting in place. That action alone sent a surge of pain all over his body. The man hissed seizing any further movement.

“What were you thinking?” Tsunade chastised, but her voice wasn’t as angry as he knew it could be.

“Welllll, I was thinking, that Nawaki wasssss being recklessssss. And, that you would kill me if anything happennnnned to him,” he sneered, but even that minor action caused pain. How pathetic.

“Orochimaru..” the woman was now sobbing in full force.

“Stop, the waterworkssss, woman. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“Idiot,” she said with a smile. Ah, it was nice to see her smile. It reminded him of…

The memories came crashing back at him like that damned blast. Pink hair. Green eyes. The smile… the blood. Her voice full of hurt and pain. Orochimaru snapped into a sitting position any and all pain ignored.

He looked around as if expecting to see her next to him. She wasn’t there. The man couldn’t even feel her chakra in the near vicinity.

“Calm down, you need to rest!” Tsunade pushed him down with her insane strength.

“Who elsssse was there?” Orochimaru demanded. 

“I’m sorry, Orochi, two other gennin didn’t make it…”

His heart dropped. Did… dis Saku also perish? After he tried so hard to get her back with him?

“WHO elssssse?!” he yelled out in clear despair neither of his teammates had seen before.

“The enemy was not caught… but we’ll hunt them down, trust me!” Jiraiya tried his best to sound calm and determined.

“Only twoooo dead?” the snake tried to put his worry aside, but his mind barely could think straight. 

“Yes.”

He exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. Deep breaths to take back the control over his composure and emotions. Maybe, just maybe, she ran away. Yes, that had to be it. He could not accept Saku not being there. Somewhere. Not again…

“You need to rest, Orochi. I’ll come back check on you in a while,” Tsunade smiled leaving no place for an argument. The glint in her eyes told him to stay put or she would hunt him down herself.

Bedrest it is. The snake sighed and fell back on his pillows. He hissed from the pain, but it was nothing compared to the scolding hurt in his heart. He will find Saku. But now he had to think.

His plan succeeded. He was back in a time where war still boomed over the lands. He was back in his old body. In his prime. He remembered the two lives he lived before. The one where he, Orochimaru, knew Sakura. And the other life, where he, Orochimaru, knew Saku.

Where was she now? Was she safe? Was she hurt? Did she have a body to go back to? The errors in his plan slowly came to light. Right, at this time Saku/Sakura Haruno did not exist yet. So maybe her soul was still roaming the land?

Unfortunately, he could only check that by killing himself. Again. That would be his last resort. No matter how many tries it would take, the snake decided to take his time. Even if he would have to befriend the little vixen all over again.

Orochimaru closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

━━━━━━━━━━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is year 56. In canon, Nawaki died in year 42, while Dan died in year 56. I switched these two events. So in Anima verse, Dan had died back in 42, while Nawaki should have died here in year 56.
> 
> Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya are around 30 years old now. Nawaki is 19. Don't ask me how the ages work here 😂 💖


	3. Who came first? The Chicken or the Egg?

_NOOOOO!_

Orochimaru’s voice rang over the space, but then it was gone and Sakura found herself alone. Floating above a gray forest. In the gray sky. Surrounded by gray clouds. Shit. She was stuck in the inbetween. Just floating without a destination.

“ **KRA! What’s hanging, chick?** ”

“Mokuhi!” her head snapped quickly to the bird leisurely flapping its wings a few meters away. “Oh, how fucking glad I am to see you,” she smiled sincerely letting a sigh of relief go. She wasn’t alone. No, she never was after the contract with the Ravens was completed.

“ **Obviously. Who wouldn’t be glad to see my delicate feathers, KRA!** ” he deadpanned. As much as a bird could.

“Hey, Mokuhi, could you help me out here? I cannot seem to find my body,” she said hopeful, no matter how stupid the ask would sound in any other situation. This was her life now. Hopping from body to body. From vessel to vessel. 

“ **Obviously. You don’t exist here.** ”

She blinked. Her brows furrowed.

“You mean… my body does not exist here?”

“ **Yup, KRA!** ”

“...”

“ **KRA!** ”

“I’m gonna kill him… I swear.. That little piece of shit… no good little…” Sakura was rambling. She wanted to rip Orochimaru into shreds and make some nice snake boots out of him. 

“ **Chick, who came first? The soul or the body? What do you think?** ”

Sakura exhaled as deeply as she could, to properly think over the vague question. From her experience, it had to be the body. If the body exists, her soul can go and jump into it.

“The body is formed in the womb. And then… soul occupies it?”

“ **KRA! So at what moment when the baby grows, does the soul appear?** ”

She had a strong will to moan and roll her eyes, but that would achieve nothing. Ravens would not appreciate her giving up. So she thought harder.

“Hmm, when the heart starts beating?”

“ **Why does the heart start beating? Why does the body form in the first place?** ” Mokuhi was incredibly patient, but she was near her limit.

“Fuck it! Alright! The soul is first!” 

“ **KRA! You’re welcome,** ” the woman could practically hear the bird snickering.

“So what, I have to find a fertile woman now?” Sakura deadpanned, not amused by the prospect of experiencing birth for the _third_ time.

“ **Listen, birdy. The soul exists and the body only forms around it encouraged by the soul's will. You don’t need a womb for that, KRA!** ”

“Seriously?” Sakura could only blink in response. Was it really that easy? “I… just have to will for a body to form around me?”

“ **Yup! Good luck, KRA!** ” with the final flap of his dark wings, Mokuhi poofed out of existence. Well, he was surely a helpful guide on this journey, she laughed with sarcasm dripping from her tone. 

“Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do…” she sighed looking around the treetops she was hovering above. There was no one around to help her. Just like always, she will have to do everything herself.

Sakura closed her ghostly eyes and focused on the core deep inside of her. 

_A body, huh?_

The woman imagined herself again. Pink hair, green eyes. She recalled being eighteen after the wars in both of her past timelines. Muscle built up after time spent with Akatsuki. Chakra reserves. Her chakra coils. Veins and arteries covering her skeleton.

The more she focused, the deeper into the details she dove. Flesh. Blood. Cells. Molecules. Neurons. Chakra. She had a clear image in her head, turning around in full 3D. Then she thought of the senses, her brain, and other organs. Everything in the right places.

And then the world snapped. Her eyes fluttered open to see the world back in color again. She would have smiled if she wasn’t falling down from the sky.

Naked.

Completely bare.

Naked.

But fuckin alive!

Sakura scrambled to shield her face from the branches and leaves in her way to meet the ground. Her limbs were sluggish to respond. By the time she embraced her feet in the right position for the landing, it was almost too late.

The woman plopped on the grass and rolled, barely able to avoid any breaks or sprains. Barely. She felt a sting on her ankle.

“Great,” Sakura winced looking around. Her hands weaved into the grass relishing in the feeling of life under her fingers. After steadying her breath, Sakura focused chakra in her palm and tried to heal.

The process was slow but natural. Quickly, like remembering how to throw a kunai, she forced chakra to heal her minor sprain and other scratches. At least, her chakra was not the size of a civilian child. She smiled at the sky and laid on the grass.

“Never doing this again,” she gasped, then her body shivered from a gust of chilly wind. Her mind registered the new predicament.

She was naked. Without a weapon. Kami knows where. 

“I’m going to make a nice snake belt out of him,” she vowed, sitting back up. Her emerald eyes looked around with sight enhanced by chakra. She couldn’t feel any people around, but shinobi would be suppressing their presence.

“First things first, I need clothing,” the woman decided. She did not feel insecure about her body like she would have in her first lifetime. Yet, prancing around naked did not sound appealing either.

After forming a couple of hand signs, Sakura transformed with a henge into a woman _with clothing_. It wasn’t real. She didn’t feel dressed. But at least civilians wouldn’t notice it. Or shinobi. They might see the illusion, but not what’s underneath.

Looking around, Sakura picked one direction and quickly made her way towards… something. Anything honestly. A village. A house. ANYTHING.

After an hour-long trek, she finally saw smoke in a distance. It was pale, but definitely a sign of life. With caution, she approached until Sakura reached a makeshift fence. Behind it was a building and a road. There was a garden and some horses roaming around.

“Praise Hashirama!” she smiled noticing a line of clothing drying in the sun. It wasn’t much. A couple of sheets, a towel and a dress!

After suppressing her chakra to one of a bird, Sakura sneaked in and grabbed the dress. Back in the forest, she dropped the henge and slipped into it. It wasn’t much. Clearly a civilian garb. White, plain dress ending just below her knees. No underwear, but hey, better than nothing.

A bit relieved, she could now try to find something more. At least some bandages. Or money. Or shoes. The woman decided to follow the road wherever it led from the shadows of the forest. Her belly rumbled with unrest.

━━━━━━━━━━

A day and some more stealing later, Sakura laid by a fire pit looking at the stars. She still rocked her almost sheer dress. At least her feet were now covered with shinobi sandals on a heel. She also snatched a pouch that was now safely tied around her thigh. It held a single kunai.

The tiny amount of bandages she got, barely covered her nether region and thighs, but it was a start. After some struggle making chakra-enhanced leaps, Sakura made two slits on her dress for better mobility. It might be revealing too much, but honestly, that was the least of her troubles.

“I’m gonna kill them all,” she said with a sweet smile.

After visiting a small village, Sakura learned that something was going on in these lands. Civilians fearfully whispered about a war looming over the nations.

The first time, she helped Naruto to stop the war. Or at least tried. The second time, she stopped the war before it even happened. Now… Sakura was done with helping villages and their agenda. Seriously.

She decided to investigate further and to spite all of them - heal everyone. No matter what village they were from, where they even in a village to begin with. She did not want any more pointless bloodshed or children's suffering.

A sad smile curled on her lips. Maybe Nagato rubbed off on her? But she was just too tired of fighting everyone. People deserved to live. She deserved to live. Children deserved to stay at home and not be forced into the front lines. Children deserved to have their parents.

Civilian whispers hinted to what direction the worst fights were at and that was her next destination. And so help Kami those who will dare to cross her. She will crush them to mush and then heal them back up like nothing happened.

A maniacal laugh escaped her lips. She felt almost like she was back in her laboratory. Hey, the world was one big petri dish ready to be messed with if you think about it.

━━━━━━━━━━

There was silence all around them. He still sensed the pain muffled away from his comrades. They were injured. Their mission was not going as planned. Someone knew about it… Someone ambushed them and now he had to make a hard decision.

“Captain, your orders?” one out of the few not injured shinobi asked him.

“How much time do we have?”

“Around five hours, but some will not be able to continue either way.”

“And how much time would we need?”

“A few days at least to mend the wounds. We don’t have a medic here, but some know basic healing.”

It was a grim report, but it was the truth. Hokage’s orders were clear. There was no place for error or retreat. But if they will go ahead, most of them will be dead. That was the price to pay for this mission. Was he willing to pay it? Twenty lives were in his hands. He needed a miracle to keep them all alive.

“Captain!” another shinobi jumped up, a sensor, with a kunai, pointed to their left. Someone was approaching.

“Place a genjutsu on the injured, protect them,” he ordered quickly unsheathing his own blade. His eyes narrowed staring deep into the darkness. “How many?”

“Mmm, just one, captain,” there was a hesitation, because why would any unfortunate soul be in these parts of the woods? The clearing went into silence. The tension was thick and unnerving.

Suddenly, a blob of white and pink emerged. His first instinct was to lower his sword, but he knew better than to do so. Looking closer it was clear that the target that disturbed his sensor was just a girl. Pink-haired _woman_. With a white flowy dress. 

“Are you lost, darling?” he smirked, but his stance stayed strong. He tracked her green eyes that shimmered in the darkness. She did not look scared or disturbed by seeing a bunch of shinobi armed to the teeth. She also didn’t look armed, so maybe she was lost?

“You have injured people,” it was not a question but a statement, that made everybody even tenser.

“Oh? Why would you think that?” he asked carefully. The motives of this strange exotic beauty were still unclear.

“I could smell the blood a mile away,” she deadpanned. Finally, her eyes connected with his. “I am a healer, I can help.”

“We didn’t call for a healer,” he answered dryly. Although, he could not argue that the stench of blood was thick in the air around them.

“I don’t work for anybody to call me,” she snapped back and simply walked towards them without hesitation. She was fearless, but he was a captain and a veteran for a reason. As quick as she made a move, he was in front of her now, with a blade resting at her neck.

“We don’t need your services, medic,” his words contradicted the thoughts in his head, but caution had to be acted out in these times of uncertainty. Especially after their recent ambush. Hell, she might not even be a medic.

Then, the woman’s pale and fragile hand took hold of his blade and pushed it aside. How she managed this feat, he couldn’t tell. Yes, he was not using full force, but still… she was just so fragile but held power and authority in her actions beyond his comprehension.

He noticed the scratch left on her neck and blood oozing from her palm, where she held onto his blade. Then, her hand started to glow green! He watched as before his eyes the skin was healed without leaving a trace.

That is when he lowered his sword just a bit. _So she wasn’t lying?_

Without saying another word, she walked past him straight to the injured shinobi, not fooled by the genjutsu. Honestly, he was astonished and shell-shocked as he watched her ignore any normal person's sense to flee from shinobi.

The woman pushed aside a couple of other shinobi, who wanted to stand in her way, leaving them with shocked expressions too. Her actions were precise and efficient as she healed one shinobi after the other. 

He exchanged glances with others. This was a first for all of them. For a healer to help out a possibly foreign shinobi forces? Unheard off! Yet, she did. One by one, his comrades stood up stretching and looking over the perfect skin where not even a scar was left after her healing.

Honestly, he was relieved but did not hurry to put away his sword.

When the final person was healed, she stood up and started to walk away, not even sparing him a second glance.

“Wait! Who are you?” he yelled out after her. She stopped and glanced back.

“I’m a medic,” she smiled simply and then just poof and shunshined away. She was definitely _not_ only a medic. To be able to sense them and perform transportation jutsu, the woman had to be a shinobi.

“Captain? She.. she actually healed everyone,” one shinobi remarked staring into the distance where the woman was just a moment ago.

“Well... good.”

“But… pink hair? Really?” another shinobi smirked. All of their moods were highly lifted by this act of kindness. Their little savior was indeed just a pink-haired woman.

“She’s pretty,” a younger shinobi remarked. He had to agree. But personally, he was more attracted to her powerful demeanor and fearlessness than anything else. Alright, maybe her dainty figure had something to do with it too. She was curvaceous and the white dress left little for the imagination.

“Alright, recess is over! We have a mission to complete,” he yelled out to his team.

“Yes, commander!” they all answered in unison.

As they moved on ahead with determination, Sakumo could only wonder who was this angel that crossed their path. He will find her again. The sweet scent of her blood still lingered on his blade and he was not about to forget her anytime soon.

━━━━━━━━━━


End file.
